October is National Crime Prevention Month, helping law enforcement and private residents put the spotlight on staying safe at home and in public spaces. While preventing crime is important all year long, special programs and initiatives help keep the public aware of dangers and concerns that could be a problem for them.
Among the top programs, you’ll find initiatives at community-focused safety, smart gun ownership and more. Keep reading to learn more about National Crime Prevention Month and how you can keep your home and family safe.
Store Guns Properly
Gun safety is a huge part of National Crime Prevention Month since many of the crimes committed all over the world are done with stolen guns. For homeowners, keeping your guns safe and out of the hands of the bad guys can also help keep you out of trouble. Remember that stolen guns are registered to you, so when a gun is used in a crime, you’ll be the first person to get a visit from local police.
Keeping guns out of the hands of kids through proper storage is also a major focus during National Crime Prevention Month. Here are a few tips you can use to make sure your guns don’t end up in the hands of your kids:
- Lock up your guns in a combination or key safe. Keep the combination to yourself or have the key on your person at all times.
- Train older kids to properly handle guns if they will have access when supervised. Proper training is essential for gun safety.
- Never let your kids handle guns unsupervised. Until they’re old enough to buy guns on their own you need to supervise them when firearms are present at all times.
Community-Based Safety
Being an active member of your community can help you keep an eye out for danger in your neighborhood. For some people, this means actively patrolling the community as part of a neighborhood watch program. For others, community safety may take on a different meaning.
Here are a few ways you can help protect your family and your community:
- Install an alarm system in your home. This will help safeguard your family as well as your valuable possessions. Many homeowner’s insurance policy rates will also drop if you have a working home security system.
- Install flood lights around the perimeter of your home. These will pick up suspicious movement and activity, often scaring would-be burglars away before they have a chance to break into your vehicle or home.
- Keep an eye out for suspicious activity around your home. Report it to the neighborhood watch or community police. If you see something, say something. Teach your kids to look out for suspicious activity as well.
- Attend community meetings to discuss safety concerns.
- Join the neighborhood watch program. Many neighborhood watch programs have tasks that residents can perform other than active patrol. These help keep your neighborhood safe.
Keeping your neighborhood safe and preventing crime starts at home. Use these tips to take part in National Crime Prevention Month and sleep easy at night.